Story byThe News-Gazette, Champaign-Urbana, Ill.

Falcons, Trojans geared up for sectional title showdown

Scott Richey, The News-Gazette, Champaign-Urbana, Ill.Sat, June 6, 2026 at 2:51 PM UTC·3 min read

Jun. 6—CHAMPAIGN — Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley was ranked as the No. 70 Class 1A baseball team in the state of Illinois by MaxPreps heading into the postseason.

It wasn't necessarily unfair based on the Falcons' record. They'd won eight games in the regular season and lost 20.

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Then regional play hit. GCMS (11-20) has won three consecutive postseason games, claimed a third straight regional title in the process and will go for a fourth win in the last two weeks in Saturday's 11 a.m. sectional championship game against Armstrong-Potomac in Dwight.

"Not a lot of love on their algorithm for us," GCMS coach Dustin White quipped about the MaxPreps ranking. "But we'll be happy to keep finding ways to win games and knocking people off and keep playing good baseball if we can."

What's helped push this level of success for GCMS is the number of players who've experienced it before. The Falcons finished fourth in Class 1A in 2024. Current seniors Zeb Greer and Trent Wetherell and standout junior Graydon Leonard were all on that team. Six total players from last year's regional champs are also on this year's roster.

"Those guys talked about (the 2025 sectional title game loss to Salt Fork) a little bit about how focused you need to be," White said about how his team entered the postseason. "You've got to show up and you've got to play and you've got to bring it every pitch and every inning. You can't just kind of assume that you're going to win a ball game. This last two weeks here I feel like our kids have been way more focused, and that group of six has been locked in and lot more vocal and a lot more talkative. They don't want it to end."

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Armstrong-Potomac is facing a similar scenario. The Trojans (22-3) have experienced a significantly different season from a wins and losses standpoint compared to their sectional championship game opponent, but both teams are in win-or-go home mode.

A-P won three straight regional titles from 2022-24, but a young team last season in Tom Wolken's first as coach needed a little time to develop into the group that's won 22 games and another regional championship this spring.

"I had a good chunk of these boys in grade school," Wolken said. "I knew the talent we had last year. We were just young last year. The pieces fell together more. We got some improvement, some player development. We've got a bunch of good individuals on this team, but they play as a team. That's what we like to see."

The matchup to watch Saturday in Dwight, though, comes down to a pair of individuals. GCMS will start Leonard, who is their unquestionable ace. A-P will counter with Kentucky commit Traxton Roberts.

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"It might be a record number strikeout kind of day for both teams if those pitchers are on and dealing," White said. "I don't expect it to be very high scoring. I expect both pitchers to really be on their game, and if that's the case it should be a fun one."

White made it clear it might be just one mistake that could cost a team with those junior right-handers squaring off on the mound. Wolken sees Saturday's sectional showdown the same way.

"I think you can expect a very fundamental game," Wolken added. "I truly believe it's going to be who makes the least amount of mistakes is going to win that game. Both teams know the game of baseball — know the ins and outs, know the situations."